Runaway Journey
by 100FACES
Summary: Kendro is a pokemorph. Brianna is an escaped mental patient who strange things continue to happen to. Each, along with James want to be the strongest trainer. But such a dream may not be possible with the threats that plague all of them. R
1. Freedom

Author's note: This story is a bit different, but it's still a good old adventure story about a girl and company who are trying to be the best trainers. So if you like that kind of thing you should find this interesting.

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon…so don't sue me.

_Wake up. Eat breakfast. Take pills. See doctor. Everyday do the same thing. Every day play cards with the others while the nurses monitor you. Are you feeling happy? Have you been seeing things, smelling things or hearing things that aren't there? No. That's good. I think were making progress._

_Brush teeth. Put on clothes. It's breakfast again: The same old meal as any other day. But something's different. Huh, but what? She doesn't know. Her hair lays lank against her back. She looks at the others, she looks at the nurses. It's the same old thing as every other day. But today is a day of change._

She looked up at the fellow crazies. One acknowledged her. She nodded at him and then towards the door. It was as she was asking, if we run now, will they catch us?

After breakfast they had quiet time. She left to go to her lonely room. It was a plain room. White walls, white sheets on the bed and a teal colored cupboard that had all her stuff locked inside. She was only aloud entry to it with the permission of a staff member. There was one window with no bars but with glass so strong not even a pokemon could break through it. The window had teal curtains. She lay down on her bed. It was a good, comfortable bed, one which she could allow herself to relax on.

She was 15, and still not a pokemon trainer. Although her dream was strong she was not able to be the person she dreamed of. She had no family. It wasn't the classic story of abandonment. Her family had all died. At first she'd been sent to foster care. But she continued to run away numerous times. She had a taste for freedom, a dream of being the greatness trainer. But none of that mattered. The hospital was a good place. But she did not belong there. It was true that the other crazies did, but not her.

For some reason her eye was drawn to the window. She lifted away the teal curtains. At first she saw nothing. But then, in the distance she saw a small glimmer. An Absol. She smiled at it. And for a while they just stared at each other. But then there was disturbance, someone appeared outside and the Absol disappeared. She longed for it to come back and banged on the window, willing the strong to break. But to no avail.

When she'd run away for the third time a psychiatrist had come to see her. She didn't like him. He was old and cranky and in her opinion unfit for the job. He diagnosed her with severe depression and a self alienation disorder. She had yelled at him. She screamed that he was wrong, that she was a perfectly normal girl. That only made his case appear all the stronger.

"Now, now, Brianna, were going to send you to a safe place for a little while. Everything will be fine."

A little while turned into a year, and then into two. She constantly tried escaping the hospital. She constantly said she was fine, that there was nothing wrong with her. However, whether or not anyone believed her she was owned by the government. And she'd been sent there for a five year term, and nothing could change that.

Back in the present she was banging her hands on the window. A nurse came in and asked whatever was the mattered.

"An Absol came to my window. It came to see me, I'm sure of it!" Brianna exclaimed happily.

"This building is fool proof, it's impossible for a pokemon to enter within a 100 meter range of it. I'm sorry Brianna but I'll have to report this to the psychiatrist. We may need to increase your medication if you continue to see things," the nurse said. She made her leave, but before closing the door behind her she shot Brianna a kind smile.

Brianna sighed, but still, relentlessly she stared at her window. When quiet time was over she was sent to the classroom with all the other crazies to do school work. The crazies seemed impressed with her. They'd never believed she was truly one of them. But now, surely since she was seeing things that weren't there, surely she was indeed a crazy herself.

The crazies were nice kids; they were the only ones who had been certain Brianna was sane. But now they were proven wrong. They accepted her as one of them because crazy or not they were kind children. A boy named Michael smiled at her. "Welcome to the wonderful world of the clinically insane," he muttered.

"It's always a pleasure to visit, but I won't be here long," Brianna replied. The absol would return, and somehow, some way she'd be free.

XXXXXXXX

As she knew it would that night the Absol returned. The nurses were too busy with their work to notice her. The Absol looked at her from the other side of the window. She stared back. It got ready to pounce and quickly she backed away from the window. First came an icebeam from the absol, and then, very quickly a slash attack. The window shattered.

"And they said it was impossible to break," she muttered. Already alarms were going off throughout the building-she didn't have much time. She jumped out of the window, and the absol bent down so that she could clamber onto its back. Suddenly the Absol was racing away and she who rode it could not help but feel a rush of adrenaline and excitement at the idea of finally escaping.

"Patient AWOL!" yelled a voice. People were racing after her. Back in the unit she knew by now that the crazies would already be calling her a legend. A hero, for she was the first to ever escape. The absol raced into the night, away from the hospital. Through the city they fled, weaving their way through buildings and roads. And at last, at the end of the city they reached a forest. And into it they escaped.

XXXXXXXX

Brianna awoke somewhat dazzled. She lay on the damp forest ground. Light flooded through the leaves of the trees. She didn't remember how she'd come to be lying on the ground. And for its part, the absol had disappeared. Although she wished the absol hadn't abandoned her there she was still pleased to at long last be free.

She got up slowly and looked around. To her surprise at her side lay a pokeball. She picked it up, 'Go' she murmured. A Shinx appeared from the red light. A note was tagged to it. She took the note off gingerly.

_Here is your freedom, use it wisely._

Author's note: Well I hope you enjoyed. Review if you are interested in me continuing. Because, well you know, reviewers are cool.


	2. the pokemon in the water

Author's note: Okay so new chapter is up! Like I said before this story is a bit different. And you can count on a weird thing happening here and there, lol. Well thank you to all who are reading this, you're all amazing!

Disclaimer: No I do not own pokemon; if I did I would be a very rich man. And trust me, I like being a girl.

Brianna got up. It seemed simple enough. Here was a Shinx, here was her freedom. But questions remained, lingering around her. She wanted to meet the owner of the Absol, she wanted to ask why-why had she been saved? Had someone known, all along, that she wasn't insane?

The trees and ground were damp with morning due. With the sunlight streaming through the trees it was almost as everything sparkled with some unearthly glow. Brianna stretch, and cautiously gave her new companion her hand to examine. The Shinx sniffed her hand and seemed to nod to itself in approval.

She'd need new clothes, but she had no money. How did kids her age get money exactly? She almost sighed, but stopped herself remembering that she was trainer now. She would earn money through battling. They didn't let the young teens watch pokemon battles on the TV at the hospital. Still, Brianna was confident enough that she knew the basics of it. What she didn't know however were Shinx's moves.

She looked at Shinx, trying to appear as confident as possible. "Shinx, please show me each of your attacks."

The little pokemon agreed. It first growled. It was a simple and straight forward attack, not particularly useful. Next it tackled a tree. She sighed inwardly, relieved that it knew a physical attack. For its final attack it used thunderfang on a near by rock. Brianna raised an eyebrow. Thunderfang was a powerful move for an untrained pokemon-it had to have been bred.

"Listen Shinx, you and I are gonna be a great team. But I need your help to make some money so we can survive, you'll battle for me, right?" Brianna asked nervously.

"Shinx, shinx!" it replied nodding.

"Alright, well I need to find a way back into the city," Brianna said, then corrected herself. "Wait, no. I don't think I can be seen there just yet. So, once we get out of this forest lets find a nearby town, maybe there'll be some rookie trainers we can battle. But for now, Shinx, return!" she held up the pokeball and the red light engulfed the pokemon and sucked it inside.

She sighed and hoped against hope that she'd be able to find a way out. She stood up and looked around. In the distance she saw a little shimmer. She squinted her eyes-it looked like a body of water, perhaps a lake or river. She started walking towards it. It wasn't very far of a walk but as she got there her eyes opened in amazement. It was a small stream that was no where near as large as she'd imagined. A waterfall fed the crystal clear water; much to her surprise she saw a wild pokemon under its depths.

"What is that?" she wondered aloud.

"No one seems to know," came a voice from behind her. Brianna turned in surprise; a boy was looking down at her curiously. "I don't mean to scare you, but I know who you are."

"What do you want?"

"Nothing, not from you anyways. Don't worry I have no intentions of bringing you back to the hospital. But you know you ought to get away from here as fast as you can."

"Where am I? I just woke up nearby and for some reason somebody had given me a pokemon."

He smiled at her. "That's all right, strange things happen around here all the time. This is the Alura Shrine area. The Shrine itself is about a mile away."

"Thanks. But what about the pokemon?" she said pointing to the water where to her surprise the pokemon had disappeared.

"No one knows what that pokemon is. Or if it's even a pokemon for that matter. Some say it's just an illusion cast by the Shrine…many have tried to catch it, or to just touch it, but with no success. Whenever you acknowledge its existence it disappears."

She looked up at the boy, her long light brown hair in tangles falling down her back. "Please will you help me get away from here? I-I want to be a trainer, just like so many other kids. Please help me."

"It's okay-I'm getting ready to ditch this place anyways. If you travel with me I can help you. But otherwise you're on your own."

"I'll travel with you. Are you a trainer?"

"Yeah, I am. Me and my Prinpulp have been together since I was ten. 7 long years man, but I don't seem to be any closer to getting into the masters league."

"Masters League?"

"You've been locked up a while, huh?" he sighed. "It's okay, I'll tell you. It's the final league in a pokemon trainer's journey. They say that if you get into the top 16 of ten leagues then your invitation for the Masters League will arrive. It's there where the strongest trainers go…if you win that you win amazing prizes not to mention the title of the most powerful trainer. Of course, the league only happens once every five years… it happened a couple of years ago. So I'm just gonna get into three more leagues, place top 16 and then…then I'll go to the masters league and be named the greatest trainer."

She smiled. "Not if I get there first."

"I take you up on your challenge. C'mon we can go whenever you want…and uh, once you have yourself a bit more money you can buy pokeballs and different cloths that wont make you so well…recognizable."

"What's your name?" she asked.

"James. Yours?"

"I'm Brianna," she replied. James had perfect features. She felt like dirt beside him. Her green eyes surveyed him for a moment. His hair was dark black and his eyes the darkest shade of brown. His face shape was perfect and his skin flawless. And there she was dirty, messy and just escaped from a mental hospital.

"Don't worry; we'll register you as a trainer at a town that's about 30 miles away. I have a car. It'll be a fast drive. Then we can get you battling. Sound good?"

"Yes it does…thank you so much."

"Hey, don't worry. And if it helps at all, I can tell you're not crazy. Perhaps the Shrine knew too, and that's why you escaped on some rogue absol," he said laughing. "It's okay; I think you'll make a good rival. Besides, everyone deserves a chance to be a trainer. But just remember, when I beat you in battles, no hard feelings okay?"

"Oh very funny. Yes no hard feelings and that goes for the other way around, too."

Author's note: Alrighty, tell me what you thought. I'll update as long as I get even just one review. So you don't have to worry much.

Next chapter: Registration, first battles and maybe even a trip to the mall.


	3. First meeting with the Pokemorph, Kendro

Author's note: Yes, here's the third chapter, so read, review, and enjoy (I hope).

Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon, honestly, do I even have to say it?

"Do you know any absol trainers?"

"No, absols aren't native to this region anyways…it's a very odd thing, what happened to you."

"I know," Brianna replied. "But I can't say I'm disappointed…maybe now Shinx and I can be the greatest team ever, of course I have a lot of catching up to do."

James and Brianna were in his car, it was a black, sleek car and somehow Brianna managed to feel like it was where she belonged. The air conditioning wasn't on but Brianna had the window open and a gentle breeze was blowing through. Shinx had made itself comfortable on her lap and was asleep.

She closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift off. Here she was with an experienced trainer, never had a pokemon battle in her life. She wanted to go the masters league with him. But she knew that three years wasn't long enough for her to place top 16 in ten leagues. Still, if she continued to be friends with James she'd go and watch him battle, when he made it there.

"Is it hard, being a trainer?"

"At first it is, but you learn to cope after a while," he paused and smiled. "Don't worry you'll do fine. You can earn badges with me and enter this league at least…and hopefully by the time you're battling your heart out there, you'll be strong enough to reach top 16, with me."

"I hope so."

XXXXXXXXXX

They reached the ocean side city of Magenta. It wasn't a small town because James had decided to go straight to a city that had a gym. Magenta smelled of salt water and of a mix of foods and goods being imported from all around the world. Brianna smiled to herself, it was a nice city, one in which she could disappear in.

They were driving pleasantly along when James almost ran over a boy who had sprinted across the road at the last minute. "Watch where you're going, idiot!" James yelled after him.

"Just give him a break, James. It's no big deal." Brianna sighed to herself, she didn't want there to be a huge fuss over nothing.

"No big deal? Listen I'm sorry but I don't want to kill someone because of some stupid kid."

"Why don't you park somewhere? Lets find some trainers to battle…I want to be ready for the gym," Brianna said, longing for a change in the subject and general mood of James. He was a nice boy, but there was something about him that kept on nagging Brianna. She pushed the feeling away, trying her best to ignore it.

"Okay," James replied. "But let's register you first." He pulled into a driveway and the two headed over towards a pokemon center. Brianna pushed open the glass doors and was greeted by a rush of cool air. A Nurse Joy was tending to another trainer, so James and Brianna waited.

"Who do I go to, to register as a trainer?"

"Nurse Joy should be able to register you. If you're lucky you might even get a pokedex, although I doubt it. You'll probably have to purchase one yourself."

The other trainer collected his pokemon and left. Brianna walked up to the nurse nervously. "I'd like to register myself as a pokemon trainer," she said. The light above her was dim and made the whole place seem lonely and desolate. Nurse Joy herself didn't seem exactly joyful.

"Alright, may I see your ID?"

"Uh," Brianna fidgeted, she didn't have an ID and she certainly couldn't admit to being the escaped mental patient. "I-I-

"She doesn't have a passport or anything, she's under 18, we didn't think she'd need one," James said helpfully.

"I see," Nurse Joy replied. "Well, until I see some ID I can't register you."

Brianna's mind raced about. "Can't you…look me up on the computer?"

"I suppose so. What's your name?"

"Brianna Lockloor," Brianna said, hoping that her history with the hospital wouldn't show up on the computer.

Nurse Joy looked at the corresponding photo. "It does appear to be you. Alright this will do just fine. What's your starter pokemon? And would you like to register for this region's league?"

"My starter is Shinx, and yes, yes I would like to take part in the league."

"Alrighty…" Nurse joy tapped a few more keys on the computer and pressed enter. "Okay, you're officially registered. If you'd like to purchase the newest generation of Pokedex you can here, otherwise you'll have to buy an older model at the mall." She handed Brianna her pokemon trainer's certificate but Brianna's eyes were glued to the pokedex.

Brianna looked at the newest pokedex, it was ruby red and had a slight sparkle to it. She wanted it, it was pretty and she was the kind of girl who couldn't resist pretty things. However she saw the price tag, 6000 yen, she didn't have any money and she wasn't about to ask James for such a large sum. True, it normally wouldn't be that much of a problem to spend 6000 but Brianna knew that they needed money for food and clothing. "No…I, that's alright. Maybe later."

"Very well, but I suggest you buy a pokedex whether or not it be an older model. It's good because it will have your ID on it. Besides, it's very useful for trainers. Anyways, what about you young man, do you need to register?"

"Yeah," James said. "For the league, I'm James Relic, here's my ID and pokemon trainer certificate."

The nurse scanned James' ID through the computer. "Alright, well kids, you're ready to go then."

"Thanks," they both muttered.

Just as they were about to leave the pokemon center a boy rushed in. James stopped in his tracks. "That's the kid, I nearly ran over," he muttered. "HEY, kid wait." The boy stopped in his tracks. "Watch where you're going next time."

The boy turned around, Brianna had to stop herself from gasping in amazement. The boy's skin was red and his hair was orange, red and yellow. His eyes were black save the whites and his nostrils were slanted. Brianna also couldn't help but notice his fangs that protruded from the sides of his mouth. He was a pokemorph. James didn't seem fazed though, he probably saw pokemorphs everyday. But to Brianna who'd grown up in a small town and had spent the last two years in hospitalization, this was a whole new experience.

"Sorry, I was in a rush. These guys tried to steal my pokemon."

"Why would someone try to do that, are your pokemon rare or something?" Brianna asked innocently.

The boy snorted. "Why the fuck do you think they'd try to steal my pokemon? I'm a pokemorph, it's not as if most people think it's okay for people who are half pokemon to raise pokemon."

"Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't know that was the way things were…" she sighed, she knew she was really out of it. How long would it take her to get caught up as a trainer and understand the changes in the world that had happened while she'd been safely stowed away?

"Whatever."

"Uh, c'mon, Brianna, lets get out of here," James muttered. As they left the building he gave a wary sigh. "Be careful, don't act too surprised about these things, you don't wanna attract suspicion."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's alright. Anyways, let's find you some rookie trainer to practice against…"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Alright, you wanna battle?" the boy asked. He was a ten year old who'd just gotten a torchic as a starter. He looked like your average kid, nothing special. But to Brianna he was something much, much more, he was her first ever rival.

"Yeah. Go, Shinx!"

"Go Torchic!"

Shinx growled at the Torchic, it leered back at Shinx."

"Tackle, it, Shinx!" Shinx obliged but missed.

"Oh please, is that all you got?" the boy said edging her on.

She got an idea. "Tackle again!" once again it missed. And then again and again. The boy was getting bored with the battle. But then Brianna saw her opening. Shinx had landed behind the Torchic. "Alright now, Thunderfang!" the Torchic was caught off guard and Shinx laid a direct hit. Brianna smiled to herself.

"It's not over yet, my Torchic is still standing. Alright, time to go to the offensive, Torchic, Scratch!"

"Dodge it, Shinx. Now, quickly hit it with another thunderfang!" the torchic was hit again and for a moment it just stood there, with a dazed look on it face before it fell to the ground like a stone. "Yes! We win, Shinx!"

"Pfft, it was just luck," the boy muttered before handing over 300 yen. But Brianna didn't listen to him. She was absorbed in the glow of winning her first battle. And as she stood there with a smile on her face she saw herself in the future, as a strong and respected trainer, entering the masters league.

James congratulated her, "Well, good job. Now, how abouts we find you some more trainers to battle?"

Author's note: Gah, well I can't say I'm happy with the fact that barely anyone's reading this story but I still promise to update as long as I get at least one review. Anyways I decided not to put shopping into this chapter, but rest assured that will be happening in the next chapter. And the pokemorph boy, who is by the way a Flareon morph, is going to have a big part in this story. Hope that's cool. Anyways, as usual reviewers are cool and I ask you to tell your friends about this pic if you like it lol, because I like getting feedback on my writing. But like I said, I'm going to update either way as long as I get one messily review, so alls good. Anyway I hope I don't sound like a review whore, if I do I'm sorry, I just can't help it.

Next chapter: Shopping, meetings with the pokemorph and capturing a new pokemon, woot woot, not to mention finding out more about James.


	4. No emotions in saying Goodbye

Disclaimer: I still don't own it.

Brianna couldn't afford to buy more than one outfit, especially considering the fact that she would need money for other things, too. So she bought a pair of black jeans and a black tank top along with a black hoodie with a Lugia logo on it. She couldn't afford new shoes but figured it wouldn't matter anyways. James smiled. "You look like your regular kid," he said. Brianna recognized it as a complement and smiled back.

"Looks like I have only… 500 left. That's not so good."

"Relax," James replied. "It's enough to buy a pokeball and a potion, and as for the food, hell you're a trainer now, you can find your own!"

She smirked and they went back to their shopping, Brianna doing as James suggested and buying a pokeball and a potion. As they were about to leave someone caught Brianna's eye. It was the pokemorph she'd seen earlier. Without even realizing it she went over to talk to him.

"I'm Brianna," she said.

"So?"

"_So_…who are you?"

"No one you want to know."

Brianna sighed. "Cleary I want to know you otherwise I wouldn't be asking your name in the first place."

"Uh, Brianna," James butted in. "Just leave him alone."

She ignored James. "I've been away a while, I don't understand this new world. I…I just want to know your name."

The boy sighed. "Fine. My name's Kendro. Now leave me alone, you don't want to be caught hanging around with some half-breed like me."

"Don't just assume everyone in this world is going to treat you the same, Kendro…'Cause maybe I'm different, too. Maybe I understand how you feel."

"That's enough, Brianna, just leave him alone," James said somewhat angrily.

XXXXXXXXXX

Brianna couldn't help but feel angry at James. She'd just wanted to make a friend, why had he come butting in? He, too, seemed irritated.

"What's wrong?" Brianna asked.

"Nothing."

"I doubt that."

"Listen, I've been thinking. I got you this far, so maybe now you and I should head our separate ways."

Brianna's eyes widened. Had she done something wrong? "Why? I thought…you wanted a friend to travel with."

"Well, I have my pokemon, don't I? Listen. You and I are too different. You're just a rookie, you…I…"

"But I can catch up!"

James sighed and turned away from her. "But that's just it, you_ can't_ catch up. I mean, you're not just behind in pokemon, you're behind in living. Just listening to you try to talk to that morph…it's ridiculous. "

She wasn't about to show her emotion. "If that's what you want…then it was nice knowing you," she replied before walking away. When she was sure he was out of sight she broke into a run. Why did she lose everyone?

People always died or left her. That seemed to be her destiny. At least she still had Shinx, at least she had one friend. She sat on a bench and let her head fall down low. Someone sat down beside her, but she didn't notice. Eventually even they left and night fell down upon her.

The night sky had only a few visible stars and a slim sliver of a moon. She gazed up at them, if only for a moment wishing she were up in the sky. It didn't make sense for a James to suddenly change his mind. Why had he all of the sudden decided he didn't want to be her friend? Was it because he was beautiful while she was ugly? Was it because she was too weak? What was it?

"Hey there…Brianna," said a voice.

She turned expecting to see James there begging for her forgiveness. But instead there was Kendro. He smiled down at her.

"I see that James isn't here."

"How do you know James' name?" Brianna questioned.

"I used to go to school with him. We weren't friends of course. Morphs and normal kids never hung out together."

"Yeah, I've learned that now. I still don't think it's right though.

He sighed and sat down beside her. "Of course it's not right. It just _is_. But if it helps, I'm sorry for being rude to you earlier. I thought about it…and perhaps you're right."

"Do you know anything about James? Somehow in the couple of days I traveled with him I managed to learn nothing about him."

"So he ditched you? I kind of expected that. He used to be really popular at our school. But then his pokemon, a houndoom, I think, was kidnapped and used for experiments by team rocket. He just turned kind of weird after that. He stopped hanging out with his friends and all. And then him and his pipulp just ditched school to start gym battling one day. His houndoom had been with him since he was little, I dunno, I guess it was hard on him. The kids at school say he left for revenge, but I know that's not true, I think he really does want to be the best trainer. But I dunno, that's just life I guess. Don't feel bad that he left you, Brianna. He can't handle being close to anyone except his pipulp, which by the way, he got when he was 10."

"It's a prinpulp now, I think. Although I suppose you don't care. You know…he said I was just a rookie…and I know I am. But I'm going to be better than him one day, Kendro. I'll defeat him. And he can stop feeling sorry himself. I mean it's sad that he lost his pokemon and all, but that's not excuse to be an ass. He's just made himself a rival…"

"Brave words for a rookie," Kendro said. "I want to be the best trainer, too. I was thinking, if you don't mind traveling with a half breed like me, then maybe you and I could travel together?"

"I'd like that, just promise me you won't ditch me without giving me a good reason first."

"Promise."

Author's note: Ah, lovely readers, rest assured, James is still a large part of this story. Anyways tell me whatcha thought,

Next chapter: A pokemon is captured, a gym battle fought and a friendship forged!


	5. Darkrai

Disclaimer: Checks pockets Well I still don't own pokemon, but I have 15 cents and a bubble gum rapper if anyone's looking to sell.

Brianna patted Shinx affectionately. The little pokemon seemed to like her quite a bit, at least from what Kendro could tell. Brianna smiled at him when she saw he was observing her. "I think you're ready to face your first gym leader, Brianna," Kendro said.

"Do you think so? I mean…I haven't battle very much before."

"But your Shinx and you already have a great bond, the two of you could go far, I'm sure of it," Kendro explained. "If it makes you feel any better I can battle the leader first, so you understand how everything works."

Brianna beamed at him. "Thank you so much, Kendro."

"No problem, now c'mon lets go. I don't have a car so we'll have to walk."

They headed off towards the gym, which was too far. Brianna could already spot it as they approached the block it was on. Many trainers were gathered around it, but no pokemorphs. Kendro didn't seem to mind though, at least from what Brianna could tell. They passed by the other trainers quickly, and had to wait a few minutes for their turn to challenge the gym leader.

When they finally could enter the arena Brianna thought she might faint. It was so large, and there were even some spectators who'd come to watch. She couldn't see the leader at first so she studied the terrain. It was rather plain for a gym, at least on the ground. But Brianna could see plenty of rafters and platforms in the ceiling which she assumed they would be able to use.

Kendro took his place and pulled out one of his pokeballs. "I challenge the gym leader here!" He said.

A man came out and took the spot opposite to Kendro. The man had long blue hair and was tall and lanky looking. He wore a simple jeans and t-shirt ensemble, but it was his face that showed he was a true trainer. He looked confident and strong as pulled out his pokeball. "Very well, kid. We'll make this a two on two battle. I am Rel, the flying pokemon gym leader extraordinaire, are you scared yet?"

"Nope, you go first then."

"Go, Chatot!"

Brianna new Chatot was relatively rare. But from what she could tell, that didn't mean it was strong. Kendro didn't look too concerned.

"Go, Glameow," Kendro shouted. "Quickly, fury swipes."

"Dodge."

The chatot easily avoided Kendro's attack. "Right-hypnosis, Glameow, now!"

It looked like it was going to be a direct hit, but Rel didn't look too worried. "Mirror move!" Brianna didn't understand how it had happened but suddenly Glameow was asleep on the ground instead of the other way around. "Now fury attack!"

"Wake up, Glameow!" but Glameow stayed snoozing away.

"Finish it, use another fury attack, now!" It was yet another direct hit and the referee called Rel the winner of round one. Kendro didn't look at all happy. But he didn't look like he was about to give up either.

"Fine then, so be it. Return, Glameow! Go, Chimchar!" Kendro shouted. "Okay, jump up onto the rafters."

"Follow it, chatot."

"Keep going up either!"

Chimchar continued to climb and jump, going this way and that. "Use scratch, Chatot."

"Avoid it. Now quickly, jump down." Chimchar jumped down to the bottom of the gym.

"Follow!"

"Now your chance, Chimchar, use firewheel," Kendro exclaimed. Chimchar hit the other pokemon right in the belly and while the Chatot was dazed Kendro took his chance. "Finish it, Ember, now!"

The Chatot was once again hit and could no longer get up. "Well, you're not so bad. Return, Chatot. Alright then, your turn, Staravia!"

"Is that Starly's evolved form?" Brianna asked.

"Yeah, it is. But of course, it's no match for chimchar."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Congratulations, Kendro. It looks like you've just earned your first badge, for this region anyways."

"Yup, and guess what?"

"What?"

"Now it's your turn."

"Oh," Brianna replied. "I don't think I'm ready after all, Kendro."

"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked.

"I can't battle them, is what I mean. I only have one pokemon."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot about that," Kendro replied. "It's alright, you and I can go searching for some right now, how about it?"

Brianna smiled at him. "Thank you."

They were about to leave when someone caught Brianna's eye. It was James, of course. He was tossing what Brianna presumed to be a badge up and down. So he has he's first badge, she thought. She couldn't help but feel a twang of jealousy. She had to defeat James, she had to.

"Kendro?"

"Mhmm?"

"Why do you think James suddenly decided he didn't want to be my friend…?"

Kendro sighed, raising his fiery eyes towards the sky he responded, "Well, Brianna, you have to remember the kid has been through a lot. I guess he just felt he was becoming to close to you. No one wants to lose their pokemon and their friend, and I suppose he just doesn't want to lose another person. Honestly, don't feel mad about it. You don't need him anyways."

"I guess so." But she couldn't help but wonder if maybe she did need him. She was sure Kendro was a good trainer, but he was also younger and less experienced than James. She needed to defeat James in order to prove herself, but how could she, if he had seven years more experience than she?

"C'mon, Brie, let's go."

She didn't mind that Kendro had used a nickname, in fact, it made her feel just a tiny bit better about what had happened. Kendro brought her to the edge of the city where the forest began. It was getting to be dark outside, which Kendro said was a good thing. She already had a day pokemon after all, so it would be a good time to get a night one.

They began walking through the forest. "Kendro…what if we can't find our way back?"

"Relax, I know this area well."

She listened to him but could not help but get an eerie feeling as they journeyed deeper and deeper into the forest. She heard a sudden rustling nearby, she turned on a dime, in time to see a Riolu dart away. "I thought those weren't native to this area," she commented.

"They aren't," Kendro replied sounding oddly worried.

Suddenly she too, had an urge to run as the Riolu had done. She quickly sped in the direction that it had gone in. Kendro was caught off guard, and couldn't tell in which direction they gone. "BRIANNA!" He yelled, but no one answered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fear had suddenly consumed her, and she did not know why. She followed the Riolu, somehow managing to run as fast as it was. At last it darted into a cave and she followed. The cave was too dark to see it, so she called out Shinx. "I need you to Shine for me, Shinx," she said. The little pokemon began to glow, illuminating the cave. She'd stumbled upon a large cavern, one in which she could see the odd pokemon hiding here or there.

She didn't know what they were all hiding from, the only thing she knew is that whatever it was, she ought to be hiding from it, too. But before she could do anything, whatever it was caught up to them. She turned in time to see a creature that looked like it was made of shadows. Around it's neck hung something red and instead of hair it had white smoke flowing from it's head.

"Go away," she said feebly.

"Giiivvee, meeeee, iiiiit," came a almost inaudible voice.

"G-give you what?"

"Whhhat, yyyyouuuu, s-stooollllle."

"I DIDN'T TAKE ANYTHING FROM YOU! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Giiiivvveee, iiiit, tooooo, meeeeee."

Brianna tried running but only succeeding in stumbling backwards. She thought she would most certainly be killed but then something miraculous happened. An absol, as if out of no where appeared. The same absol, she was sure, that had rescued her once before. But before she could even begin to understand what had happened she was lulled into sleep, and then all she knew was black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Brie, c'mon, wake up, Brie." Someone was shaking her. She opened eyes a bit, and looked into the face of the person who'd come to disturb her. It was Kendro, no surprise there.

She looked around quickly, she appeared to still be in the cave, but it was daytime. "What happened?" she asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"There was this pokemon, I don't know what it was, but it was going to kill me, I'm sure of it. Only…only this absol came and saved me. Just like the only that had saved me from the hospital."

Kendro's eyes widened. "You're the girl who escaped the mental hospital? That's amazing…" he trailed. "Sorry I didn't mean to be rude."

"The pokemon, it could talk. It's speech was really bad but I could understand it. It kept on asking me for what I'd stolen from it, only I haven't stolen anything, I swear!"

"What did the pokemon look like? If there's a dangerous pokemon out there then we have to inform the authorities."

"It was made of shadows, and had this red thing on it's neck, and it's head had this white smoke coming from it."

"It sounds like a Darkrai. They're said to come out on moonless nights. Still it's amazing that you actually saw one. And…well that does explain why you suddenly took off after that Riolu."

"I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Don't be sorry, just be careful. From now on neither of us travel at night, only during the daytime, so we make sure we avoid this thing, okay?"

"Okay," she replied. "I suppose this means I won't be catching a pokemon then, huh."

"I'm not so sure. I think I saw that Riolu around her somewhere."

Sure enough as they left the cave the Riolu was there. It seemed to be waiting for them. Brianna looked at it, trying to appear as confident as possible. "Riolu, let's battle," she challenged.

The pokemon seemed to agree so she sent out her Shinx. She told her pokemon to use a tackle. The move hit the Riolu.

While the Riolu was momentarily stunned, Brianna called out her next attack. "BITE!"

This time, in the nick of time, Riolu avoided the attack and used counter. Shinx flinched for a moment. "Shinx I want you to charge at it," she ordered, the pokemon did as it was told. "NOW! Use thunderfang!"

It was a direct hit, the Riolu crouched down to the ground, so Brianna took her chance. "Alright," she said. "Pokeball, GO!"

The pokeball absorbed the pokemon in a flash of red light. Brianna watching in anticipation as the pokemon shook around. And then, right when she thought the pokemon might escape she heard the click noise, signifying that she had been victorious.

"Shinx, return," she said. She looked fondly at Shinx's pokeball. "Good job, buddy."

"Congrats, Brie!"

"Thanks," she replied walking forward to retrieve her pokeball. She placed it in her pocket beside Shinx and smiled to herself. Now it was time to face the gym. It was time to earn her badges and defeat James. But it was also more than just that. For somehow the meeting with the Darkrai had rejuvenated her longing to understand why she'd been granted freedom, and exactly why the Absol always came when she needed it. She sighed. It was about damn time, too.

She looked over at Kendro who was smiling fondly at her, and despite the nightmares that had just plagued her, she felt more ready than ever for the journey that lay ahead.

Author's note: okay dear sexy ones who read this, tell me what you thought!

Next chapter: Take a look into Kendro's past and read about Brianna's first gym battle. Also Brianna and Kendro begin making plans for the next leg of their journey and as they encounter many dangers in the future neither seems to realize that somebody is looking out for them.


End file.
